Apex Legends as the LGBTQ+ platform should be the standard

“I am very strange myself. Representatives mean a lot to me. I grew up in the 80s and 90s, where you have to read carefully between the lines to find any expression that is more than tragedy, horror or slander,” Apex Legends Chief writer Amanda Doiron told me. “It makes you feel weirder-there is more shame around. So in Apex, it’s great because there are so many things out there, and there are different ways to express it-there is no one way to be gay. So , This makes a lot of sense to me, because not only do we continue to represent the experience of a certain group, we are also creating characters that people can empathize and admire.”

When I was huddled together at 7pm on a hot Friday night, you wouldn’t usually find that type in the cold heaths of northern England. Sipping my honey coffee, I called Amanda on the Zoom phone. We greeted and chatted with a preemptive interview. This is usually awkward small talk. As a 20-year-old young man, I am still adjusting to this industry. When she started to tell me all of her experience as an LGBTQ+ person in the gaming industry and how it felt to grow up in this lack of representation, it really resonated with me. I emphasize my age and the anxiety of young people because it is still contemporary and sharp in my own life.

She grew up in the 80s and 90s, and I was a child in the 2000s and 2010s. However, although my experience originated in the next two decades, what she described was still very close to home. The changes have come and the situation has improved. Although there is no doubt, there is still the kind of emptiness and struggle, it is difficult to accept your queer identity, which will bring shame and rejection, overwhelming self-deprecating anxiety.

Coming out is no small matter. I tell the world that I am only 12 or 13 years old and am bisexual (as the years go by, the details become more and more blurred). Many people don’t believe me. They don’t believe it because I don’t conform to their preconceived notion that they think about these different sexual behaviors as if we are a type of Pokemon with fixed guidelines and strict obligations.

People don’t know what bisexual, homosexual, transgender, or anything in between is like, because it is not adequately represented. This is why games like Apex Legends are so important that they should be celebrated and praised. They brought this to the table. This important performance normalizes LGBTQ+ people and shows the world that we exist. We are not suitable for these arbitrary stereotypes. We are cis and heterosexuals in the world. The only difference is how we recognize and who we are attracted to.

Respawn’s associate quality designer Mackenzie Galbraith said: “I think the performance of LGBTQIA+ is essential to normalizing the queer experience.” “When people don’t know you or someone like you, they don’t have a frame of reference, even the most Simple questions they become intimidating or embarrassing. When you meet a queer in real life for the first time, having a positive performance that goes beyond stereotypes and comics helps you feel more normal.”

This is why I am very happy to see more of these things in the media. When I tell people that I am bisexual, not only do I feel more accepted, but the turbulence and indifference are also reduced. Of course, some people are stinging, but many times, I get more “cool, anyway” responses, which I cherish. However, there is still a feeling that I am not always suitable for these stereotypes, which is why I hope there will be more games, shows, movies, or anything else that uses Apex Legends methods to write strange things.

“Regardless of their background and direction, they are very cool characters-people you can resonate with, even if they don’t necessarily have the same background or experience as you,” Dovalon told me, “They It is still a very relevant role that you support or like to oppose. We never let LGBTQ+ be their defining feature. It’s just that in the Apex world, it’s a given. There is no that kind of prejudice or that kind of struggle. Like, “Oh, hey, gay in Gibraltar. “When we create a character, we don’t put it in the list of characteristics. Homosexuality-what does it mean? This is not a personality trait. Therefore, in personality descriptions that do not include positioning, whether it is bisexual or pan Type, trump card, lesbian or gay, we all take things like ex-boyfriends as an important part of their backstory. That will be there, but it has nothing to do with his behavior or manner. Homosexuality is not a personality trait There are many ways to become gay.”

It’s refreshing to hear how the writers of Apex Legends deal with sexual orientation. It is one thing to have this form of expression, but it is unrealistic and even harmful to deal with it through the continuation metaphor in the end will make it feel like a diversity quota with no meaning, depth or nuance. Galbraith said: “Since its launch, Apex has done a very good job of diversification. Having LGBTQ+ characters that are not tokenized is a difficult tightrope walk, but Apex works by avoiding common offensive stereotypes and The metaphor succeeded in doing this. My main hope for other games is that if they want to make queer characters (I hope they do), there should be real people on their team to reflect this to help ensure they Avoid the trap of tokenization.”

Apex Legends handles it differently from others. Respawn has a culture that is rare in the world of AAA games, and this culture has nurtured the norm when dealing with queer characters. This is not necessarily a public display, nor is it a microcosm of the identities of these people. This is who they are, just as Bloodhound is considered non-dual or Gibraltar is gay. It appears in comics, voice-overs, and movies, but it appears in a seamless way of any alien depiction, like seeing Spider-Man and one of his many girlfriends. You won’t watch that cry, “Why are we forced to witness heterosexuality?” This is just an insight into Peter Parker’s ordinary life, and we celebrate it. This kind of normality is what Apex Legends has done well, and this kind of normality will eventually help children and young people get rid of the bubbles that they are bound by through their performance in these large platform games. Perhaps through these descriptions, the world will become more popular, and young people will not have to face what we do.

For people who have been represented their entire lives, this is difficult to understand because it is so normal and so ingrained that they don’t even realize that they have been represented. The game is like that. White men with guns are holding guns when dealing with hordes of demons, robots or zombies. Galbraith told me when discussing its importance in games: “I think it’s more important than ever. White, able-bodied, male, and heterosexual people may not see that many gaming communities almost default to them. It is a safe space, and these communities may be hostile or poisonous to many people who play games. Doesn’t fit that description. Statements that racism, sexism, homophobia or transphobia have no place in our games This is essential to make our gaming community a safe space for everyone.”

Doiron added: “For me, someone can be more comfortable to be who you are. It means a lot to me, and it’s a great feeling that we can help in any way.” This is a representative one. key point. It not only normalizes these different identities, but also shows that they are accepted, they are good, which is not a bad thing. This makes it a more popular environment-I know that seeing a large number of LGBTQ+ flags during Apex Legends Pride Month makes me feel incredibly popular, personally-but it also helps us weird people Feel at home on my skin. The community is not only more open to it, those who have not been evaded and expelled-of course-but also make me feel less wrong.

I often feel excluded from the normal, because I like men, but damn, men are also very sexy, and there is nothing wrong with thinking that way. If that little detail in my life is enough to insight into the hatred burning in your heart, then you have some big problems to solve, and maybe it’s better not to interact with strangers on the Internet. By letting Respawn tell them that this is not for them, they are not welcome, and it feels incredibly warm and indulgent, rather than cold and corporate.

I wanted to see if other people in the LGBTQ+ community felt the same way, so I contacted GaymingMagazine editor Aimee Hart, TheGamer editor Jade King, and MaximumPC writer Christian Guyton. Jade told me, “This is not just a verbal service to the queer community, because the team is naturally a part of it”, which is what I discussed in detail with Doiron. See, by hiring the people you want to represent and letting them participate in the conversation, you can easily eliminate this commercial unreality. With this, you can avoid being blatantly messed up like Injustice 2’s mobile game celebrating Pride Month, let’s… assault a strange character. Damn. If they put it on any LGBTQ+ person, they would not slip away so casually. Doiron told me, “Diversity in the team is important, because it’s good that other people with similar experiences can provide information. If you only hire everyone with the same ideas-not only direction, race or ethnicity, but also life Experience-everything feels like the same idea. Hiring a diverse team can bring greater creativity because you will get more ideas.”

It is the combination of behind-the-scenes recruitment and representation and public stance that makes Apex Legends fundamentally different from many companies and studios that feel fake in dealing with queer, just like this is a quick way to get some chocolate points socially. media. Hart expressed similar feelings: “Apex Legends doesn’t just declare a character LGBTQ and leave it, expecting to be rewarded, just as they provide us with services simply by acknowledging our existence. They see this as an opportunity. It is possible to create meaningful stories for these queer characters. Recent comics with Loba, Bangalore and Valkyrie: I rarely see the same-sex love triangle before, which makes me very excited. My heterosexual friends are watching every romantic movie You will definitely feel this excitement when you are. It is handled in a respectful and sincere manner, and even recognized in the game through voice lines, instead of being pushed aside, so that people can pretend that the legend is straight.

If your LGBTQ+ role is hidden, then you are hurting the community. “Guyton added: “Apex not only contains wonderful 3D LGBTQ+ characters, but also has a more tangible form of expression; voice lines, in-game comics, and animated short films, all help to create a comprehensive queer character, so that they can show their own Love and affection. Respawn made a battle royale FPS with cannons and big bangs, but it means a lot to me, they also work to show queer characters as real people with interesting lives, not just after release During the interview, the characters have sex and wait to get involved in homosexual influence points. “

Apex resonated with the audience. The reason it can do this is because it is different from any other domineering type of giant 3A game. It is as diverse behind the scenes as in front of the camera, usually left to independent developers in the industry, and it is also normal to avoid tragedies. Many LGBTQ+ stories end in this way. These people are just a part of the real world, which cannot be seen elsewhere. I can’t think of many other games that feel this way. The Last of Us and Life is Strange are bothered by this tragic metaphor, which is very common. It has a name-bury your homosexuality-and other people like Overwatch are in trouble behind the scenes and barely touch it. Apex might otherwise bathe the surface of the potential. This is an excellent game because it portrays queerness. If it has any inspiration for the game world, I hope how it handles these important and important performances. It’s one thing to recognize and stand together, but it’s another thing to put it into practice in terms of actual implementation.